Somali refugee death rate at 15 times above normal

The death rate among drought-stricken Somalis arriving at refugee camps has reached several times above levels seen in emergency situations, the UN refugees agency said Tuesday. “The situation in Dolo Ado is very dire,” said the UNHCR’s chief of public health section, Paul Spiegel, referring to the Ethiopian refugee camp where thousands of Somali refugees have sought shelter in recent weeks. Mortality rate in June reached 7.4 deaths per 10,000 a day, sharply above the sub-Saharan baseline rate of 0.5 and the emergency situation of above one death. “It’s 15 times the baseline and the preponderance of the deaths are among under-five children,” said Spiegel, adding that death rates for young children are generally over twice that of the overall population.